Home  |  Search  |  Staff  |  Archives  |  Inflight Information  |  Media Kit  |  Readers Resource  |  Special Ad Section  |  Profiles  |  Contact Us   
Cape Cod
The Parisian Jewel
Happy Birthday to...
the Cocktail
Welcome Aboard
All Over the Map
Essentials
Down to Business
Food From The Edge
Corner Office
Hands On
Shelf Life
The 19th Hole
TechSmart
In Gear
Get Smart
Get Personal
Get Away
In The Hub
 
Nowadays, when wine lovers talk about their ABCs, they don’t mean the letters of the alphabet.

No, these ABCs are actually something of an SOS, a plea for a flavorful, full-bodied, food-friendly red wine that’s Anything But Cabernet (aka Cabernet Sauvignon; the Sauvignon is silent).

It’s not that Cabernet Sauvignon, considered the king of red wines in this country, has gone overnight from VIP to houseboy. It’s just that, well... now there are a lot of other interesting and exciting red wines on the market. And while they may not get nearly the hype of the king of reds, they should be standard stock for anyone weary of Cabs that are as soft and flabby as a bucket of Jell-O, or so overripe, overoaked, and overly alcoholic they leave your taste buds feeling like they’re DOA.

So FYI, here are ten ABCs that will not only pique your palate, but will also treat it with a little TLC.


How can you not love a wine named after a reputed UFO sighting (“The Flying Cigar”) in the French town of Châteauneuf-du-Pape? Bonny Doon proprietor Randall Grahm may have a wacky sense of humor, but the agent provocateur of the California wine industry was letting the air out of the tires of the Cabernet bandwagon when most vintners were knocking each other over in the rush to climb aboard.

Grahm’s wines have always been about finesse, balance, and the ability to complement food. And the most recent vintage of perhaps his best-known wine is no exception. Think of black cherries with a pinch of spice and an earthiness that hints at fresh-brewed coffee.

   
 
Say “Barbera” and many people probably think of that rough, rustic red wine they pounded down with pizza in some funky little Italian caffè. That’s one Barbera. Then there’s the Barbera made by a new breed of ambitious Italian winemakers who are going in the same high-end direction as the producers of the now-popular Super-Tuscans.

No one will ever confuse this explosively flavorful, well-structured wine with one of those rough, rustic pizza reds. A sip is like biting into a summer-ripe black cherry, followed by haunting tones of oak and spice and a slight tang from its mineral-rich soil. It would still taste pretty good with pizza.

   
Okay, there’s Cabernet Sauvignon in this wine. Five percent. So sue me. This complex, well-balanced, charming wine is very much in the Bordeaux tradition. Proprietor Michel Jean, whose family has owned the winery for more than 200 years, isn’t much impressed with the current fashion for highly alcoholic “fruit bombs” that celebrate power and concentration over subtlety and refinement.

“Wine is made to be drunk, not to allure certain journalists,” he says. What allures about Trimoulet’s current vintage are the grace notes of flavor that lie just beneath the surface of its elegant cherryberry fruit — toast and black olives and tobacco. Drink it and enjoy — and forget what the journalists (myself excepted) say.

   
According to some, Sangiovese is supposed to mean the “blood of Jove,” Jove being the Roman equivalent of Zeus, the temperamental god who had the habit of hurling thunderbolts at those who displeased him. The most widely planted grape in Italy, it’s the base wine for Chianti and the only wine allowed by law in the celebrated Brunello di Montalcino.

Despite Sangiovese’s long and proud heritage in Italy, when it’s produced domestically it tends to be one-dimensional and fruity enough to rile Jove up all over again. But though this Napa Valley winery’s Sangiovese is indisputably ripe, rich, and juicy, it has just enough tannins and acidity to keep it from becoming cloying. Even Jove would approve.

   
 
The major buzz in wine circles these days concerns the gorgeous wines coming out of Spain. And of Spain’s regions, the one generating the most buzz is Priorat (about 100 miles southwest of Barcelona). Though blessed with a centuries-old winemaking tradition, it wasn’t until the 1990s when some prescient vintners saw the potential of its hilly volcanic soil that wines from the Priorat began to garner international attention.

The Criança is a blend of Priorat’s two chief grapes, Grenache and Carignane, whose beguiling aromas alone make the wine irresistible. But it’s in your mouth where plums, cherries, cinnamon, and cedar all roll around in a delicious tangle that brings the buzz to life.

   
Cabernet Sauvignon may be considered the king of reds in this country, but in Italy many believe Barolo should wear the crown. It is made from the Nebbiolo grape, a varietal native to (and still dominant in) the Piedmont region, and one so highly regarded that in the 15th century, anyone who destroyed Nebbiolo vines would have their right hand lopped off as a punishment for the crime.

The 2000 Boroli displays all the rich, brooding, fruit-driven potency characteristic of Nebbiolo and particularly of modern styles of Barolo, but is saved from simple, fruity stupidity by high acid, firm tannins, and a range of subtly nuanced flavors. But if you’re around the vineyard, just don’t touch the vines.

   
Yes, it’s Cabernet. No, it’s not Cabernet Sauvignon. And did I mention it’s from that world-famous wine-producing region of Long Island, New York? That’s no joke, and neither is this exceptional wine. Former advertising executive Bob Palmer released his first wines nearly 20 years ago, and they’re largely responsible for the growing reputation of Long Island as a source of fine wine.

Cabernet Franc is typically blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and other varietals to make a “Bordeaux style” wine. But in Palmer’s hands it displays a more assertive and unique character — concentrated blackberry and black-cherry fruit with hints of licorice and earth and a pronounced herbaceousness.

   
The Carmenere grape is truly an up-andcoming player. Planted extensively in France in the 1700s, Carmenere vines made their way to Chile about that time. It was originally thought to be Merlot, but in the 1990s, DNA dating revealed its true identity. Since then it’s become something of the national grape of Chile.

This is not a wine for the faint of palate. It’s big and as meaty as a slab of rare steak. Its layer upon layer of flavors, currants and cassis, dust and chocolate, cloves and violets, are intriguing.

   
Although western Paso Robles is a long way from France’s Rhone Valley, its soils and climactic diversity are very similar. Which was exactly what Tablas Creek’s French and American owners were looking for when they set out to produce Châteauneuf-du-Pape–style wines in the U.S. in 1987.

That they succeeded admirably in melding the best of France and California is evident in this latest vintage of “Côtes de Tablas,” a play on the French appellation Côtesdu- Rhone. Made up mostly of Grenache and Syrah, with lesser amounts of Mourvedre and Counoise, it combines lush raspberry and strawberry fruit with spice and smoke in one suave yet hearty package.

   
How intimidating is that for a name? Actually, it’s as easy to write about this bright, refreshing, hugely enjoyable wine as it is to drink it. Writer’s Block is one of several labels produced under the aegis of Jed Steele, one of the most respected winemakers in the country, who operates far from the rustic glitz of the Napa Valley in rural Lake County.

Grenache is rarely bottled on its own in California, which seems a pity after tasting Steele’s version. It’s an intoxicatingly aromatic wine, alive with scents of cherries, cloves, and licorice. Add toasty, mineral flavors and the only thing scary is that the bottle will soon be empty.

 

 


BILL CITARA, a contributing editor of US Airways Magazine, is the former wine critic for the San Francisco Examiner. Now residing in Key West, he is a restaurant critic for the Miami New Times.

©2006 Pace Communications Legal Notice